Involved
by jasperwright
Summary: Begins from "The Critic in the Cabernet". Booth tries to tell Brennan how he really feels about being the father of her child, while Brennan considers Angela's profound statement, "Have you ever considered that Booth may be the perfect father?"
1. The Need in the Hallway

Involved-Part One

She grabbed his forearm and pulled him out of the interrogation room into the hall.

"Booth, what's going on??" She released his arm and took a step towards him. Booth sighed heavily and placed his hands firmly on his hips.

"I can't do it." Bones looked into his eyes but the meaning of his statement alluded her. Booth could always read her much better than she could him. He took a quick glance at her face and immediately saw the question he was afraid to answer: _Do what?_

" Listen, Bones, I have to be involved. If I'm going to be the father," He paused and looked from her eyes to his feet and then back to her eyes once more. "I have to *be* the father."

She didn't seem to register anything he said.

"You were seeing something in there. What were you seeing?" Frustrated, Booth sighed again and hesitated, "Well, Stewie, you know, the baby from the Family Guy."

"You saw Stewie? In there--in the interrogation room" Booth ran his fingers through his hair and the partners dropped to the bench directly behind them.

"So what do you say about the kid?" Booth asked nervously.

"Fine, I won't have a baby." Again, Bones' quick response inferred that she was not listening to Booth and was clearly thinking very intently on one thing.

"What? That's it?"

"You know, it doesn't matter now. We're going to the hospital!" Bones eyes oozed concern and worry as she attempted to cover it with her apathetic body language.

"It's no big deal, okay?" Booth said. He looked away and started to stand up when Bones grabbed his arm firmly and pulled him back down.

"It is! Booth! You thought you saw Luc Robitaille and then the ghost of a dead friend, and now a cartoon baby. TRUST ME! Something is wrong. Trust me!"

Their eyes locked and the intensity of Bones concern made it impossible for Booth to continue gazing into her eyes without losing all control of his emotions. _Trust me. _He had asked that of her so many times, he had lost count. How could he possibly refuse her request? He already trusted her. He loved her with every fiber of his being but couldn't tell her. As much time as he spent with her, he could never read how she gauged his constant hints at love. He tried desperately, but he was careful. If he lost her friendship and her support he would never forgive himself. Bones always said that he knew her better than she knew him. The truth was that Booth knew every ounce of that statement was false. She knew him better than anyone else in his entire life. She read him like a book, whether she knew it or not. The way she could look at him and cause him to feel comforted in a millisecond was stark proof. He had to tell her.

"Bones, I need to talk to you."

"Booth, you need to go to the hospital!"

"I know, Temperance, I know. You're right. But I need to talk to you first." _Temperance_. When he called her that, red flags sprung up from every orifice of her mind. He was being completely serious. Though she had no idea what he was going to say, she was somehow overwhelmed by fear.

"That's ridiculous, Booth. We are already conversing."

"I'll let you take me to the hospital if you listen to me for a second." She emphasized the closing of her mouth and she scooted closer to him.

"Bones, I need you in my life. Always. I don't know what I would do without you." Booth held his breath and could feel his heart pounding in his throat.

"I know Booth. That's why I have tried so hard to do everything to make sure we never have to have different partners. I don't know what I'd do without you either, Booth. You are one of my dearest friends. But I don't understand why you had to tell me something I already knew." Booth's head sunk in despair. Most times, when she didn't understand the context of a statement, it was funny. It was adorable. But right now, it was tearing Booth apart. Seeing his distress, she tried to hopelessly remedy something she didn't understand.

"But I'm glad you reaffirmed that, Booth. It was very kind of you. It's nice to hear that one is cared for and needed. Now we need to go to the hospital. Now." They got up and left for the elevator.

"Wait, Bones." This time Booth grabbed her arm and stopped her motion towards the elevator.

"Captain Jamesson, please resume the interrogation of the suspect and report back to Director Cullen." He turned back to her and mustered a half smile. They walked to the elevator and shared another intense look of concern as the elevator closed them to the world for a few moments.


	2. The Burdens in Love

"Booth has a cerebellar pilocytic astrocytoma. A brain tumor. It's usually benign."

She had tried to comfort her friends with that statement days ago. Now her own words were causing her to doubt and panic. _Ususally. _She glanced up from her computer at him frequently, staring intently at his face. Those caring, trustworthy eyes that gave her all the comfort and support she ever needed were closed. She wished so badly that he would wake up and then she would know everything would be alright. Everything he said to her before he went into surgery was clanging in her head like a bell in a bell tower. _You're going to be a great mom. _Am I? She thought. Am I going to be a great mom?

She tried desperately to sort through her thoughts. The person who usually helped her sort her thoughts when she could not was lying on a bed in front of her, in a coma. Momentarily, she looked at her computer and noticed that she had not been writing her book. She had been mindlessly typing her thoughts as she looked at Booth.

_I don't know what to do anymore. Is there really some part of me that wants this? Or is every piece of me crying out to stay away? I want to love. I want to understand the concept that love is more than a chemical reaction. The love that Booth has for his son. The love that Angela and Hodgins shared. But their love failed. From my observations I can tell very little about this love that Booth speaks so highly of. That night we sat on the stairs as I cried on his shoulder, he told me, "You love someone, you open yourself up to suffering, that's the sad truth. Maybe they'll break your heart, maybe you'll break their heart and never be able to look at yourself in the same way. Those are the risks, that's the burden. _

"_Like wings, they have weight, we feel that weight on our backs, but they are a burden that lifts us. Burdens which allow us to fly."_

She nearly dropped her laptop after she finished reading. Anytime her emotions dethroned her intelligent instincts, she felt like hiding in a cave. As she lifted her finger to the delete what she had written, Angela knocked on the frame of the door.

"Sweetie, how you doing? You holding up alright?" Bones unintentionally stared right past Angela. "Don't answer that. It's written all over your face. What's going through that head of yours?" Brennan snapped out of her stare and simply handed the laptop to Angela.

"Apparently I have been subconsciously releasing thoughts as I was thinking them. I didn't even know I was typing. I'm sure Dr. Sweets would approve of this as some psychological technique used to reveal underlying feelings." She bowed her head and summoned all her strength to hold back a sudden urge to burst out in tears.

"Actually, Sweetie, this is a psychological technique. It's called freehand writing--free mind--free something like that. If you want to know, go ask Sweets. The truth is, this is what you're thinking isn't it?" Brennan looked up and scanned Angela's face for some comfort, some advice, anything.

"Apparently it's not my place to tell you how to live your life. I've given you my thoughts, Sweetie. You choose whether or not to take it."

"Ange, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to push you away like that. I'm just so---so---I just don't want to--" Angela interrupted her friend's labored speech,

"You were afraid, are afraid, to share your true feelings because you're not even sure what they are yet. You just don't want to be so vulnerable to something you can't contain with science. If what you wrote here was what Booth really said to you, he's got his head wrapped around love. It's true. The burden of love is that you may get hurt. But they are beautiful burdens. And once in a while, you find that someone and all those burdens that you've been through and all the burdens that you will go through will all be worth it. That's the burden, Bren." Angela looked with a great concern at Brennan and then left her to an even more massive mound of thoughts.

She lifted her finger again and deleted everything. Booth began to stir and mumble. As Brennan set her laptop on the table beside her she saw him open his eyes and glance around in confusion. She got up and rushed to his side, eager to hear her beloved partner speak again. She wanted to hear his words telling her he was okay. She leaned in close to him and gazed into his eyes urging him to speak.


	3. Confusion in the Hospital Room

Brennan looked excitedly at Booth but he said nothing. "Booth, you're awake!" She laughed with simultaneous relief and delight to finally see her dear Booth open his eyes. Those were the eyes she needed to look into. But something was wrong. His eyes were lost. He was staring at her with confusion and fear.

"It was so real" He muttered. There was no emotion in his face. There were boundless emotions housed behind his eyes. But no emotion in his face. Almost as if he were trapped. Lifting her hand to his side she glanced up at his head. She could not even begin to imagine what his head looked like underneath his bandages. Her rationality would tell her that there were just some incisions and of course no hair. But she had possessed no rationality since Booth had been in a coma. The feelings that she had been experiencing over the last few days were far from the reach of her rationality. The more she thought, the more tears welled up in her eyes.

"Your operation was a success but you reacted poorly to the anesthesia. You've been in a coma for four days."

She let a few tears fall as she gripped the sheet on his hospital bed.

"It took you so long to wake up." She didn't want to look away from him anymore. All those times he had captured her with his eyes, she had lost control and looked away. There was so little control in her life now that the only logic she could muster told her to study Booth and take in the joy of being able to once again look into his eyes.

"It felt so real." Booth said, with the same lack of emotions he had displayed a few moments before.

She let a few more tears fall.

"It wasn't real." She confirmed. Why wouldn't he talk? He was stuck believing his dream was real. Booth was a dreamer but he wouldn't ever let that prevent him from doing the tasks at hand; even if they would smash his dreams. But he was trapped. He seemed to snap out of it for a moment and his face showed a miniscule amount of reaction. The reaction quickly turned to one of disorientation as he uttered three words that she had been suppressing in the back of her mind. The doctors had told her it was a possibility. She shoved that possibility as far away from her thoughts as possible, refusing to believe that her partner would forget anything.

"Who are you?"

Tears began to flow from Brennan'a eyes as she looked at him in disbelief. Devastation crowded every inch of her face. The sheets closest to Brennan were soaked with tears. She gathered some strength to ask him a question she figured was important.

"Can you tell me who _you _are?" Booth nodded his head ever so slightly and reached for his head. A vigilant hand caught up to his and replaced it to his side.

"I am---I---I am---am---Brennan. My name is Seeley. Funny name. Bones. Why are there so many bones? This is scary. Seeley can't find his gun. I shoot. You are---my sister. Do I have a sister? My sister's named is---name her Parker. We call her Parker. Action figures---twelve year old's action figures. You hurt me---she doesn't love me. Someone doesn't love me. It hurts. PLEASE…make the pain stop! Why does she not love me? Who is she??? Please find her…" He was weeping. Never had she seen Booth cry more than a few tears. He was quickly filling the space beneath his head with his tears.

"Please…tell me who you are. Why am I here?" She couldn't speak. All she could do was hold his hand. With every ounce of energy that she had remaining she gripped his weak hand. He didn't know this woman holding his hand so tightly but he tried his best to hold it back. He didn't know why or how but he felt comforted somehow. Brennan was so hysterically blind with sadness and distress, she had even forgot to call the doctors in to tell them that Booth had woken up. Within fifteen minutes, both were sleeping. Booth had bowed his head on his chest and Brennan had laid her head at his hip. Their clasped hands were gently resting on Booth's stomach.

_Two Hours Later_

Brennan was fully expecting that she would wake up on a couch in the waiting room with a sore neck and exhausted eyes. A sensation rushed over her. Her hair. Someone was stroking the top of her head. Angela probably. The need to open her eyes seemed quite minimal to her. She still didn't know where she was, but she was afraid to open her eyes.

"Bones."

She nuzzled her head farther into either a couch or Booth's bed. Sadness began to overtake her again and the stroking of her head became more prevalent than before.

"Bones."

What if she hadn't forced Booth to the hospital? Maybe his tumor would have become cancerous. She tried to comfort herself again with her emotionally driven logic.

"Bones."

"What Booth?" She replied with an aggravated tone. But the very second she uttered her instinctive response, she open her eyes and what she saw made her begin to cry once more. There, before her battle torn eyes was Booth. He was staring at her with a loving look that he had always given her when he knew that she was hurting. The look she had been craving. Needed. Angela had made it clear to her. After years of her seemingly hopeless attempts to tell Brennan how she needed to let Booth in, there she was, sitting before Booth and admitting the truth to herself. She needed him. Even logically speaking, Brennan could not talk her way out. Being without Booth for a mere five days was agonizing and meaningless.

"Bones. Stop thinking. Look---" He paused and winced at the pain shooting down his spine from laying for so long. "Look at me, Bones." He lifted his hand to her chin like he had done so many times before. "Everything is going to be okay. In a couple months, when I'm completely healed, we can go back in the field---be partners." She was completely mesmerized by his intense gaze. "Bones, I have been careful. I have watched and gauged my every word so you would never push me away. But right now, I can't just let you walk away."

"Booth. I'm not walking away. I'm staying right here."

"No Bones, I have to tell you something." He swallowed hard and groaned. "When I told you I didn't want to be the father of your child unless I was involved, I wasn't just talking about the child. When I said I needed you, I didn't mean I need your partnership, which I do. I can't be the father of your child unless I _am_ a father. I have to be involved in the child's life. I have to be involved in _your_ life! I need _you._" Brennan tilted her head slightly and wiped her face with the sleeve of her coat. She started to open her mouth to speak but Booth quickly interrupted.

"Don't, Bones. Not now. I can't handle your rej----"

"Stop, Booth. Just let me talk." His eyes desperately pleaded for her to stop before she broke his heart. Brennan narrowed the proximity between their faces considerably. They could feel each other breathing.

"Now you listen to me. For five days, I have been completely and irreversibly lost and illogical. I can't think. The only thing running my head are emotions. I can't measure them with science. I didn't believe you, until now. I can't scientifically explain my distress. Not just distress. Seeley Booth, I NEED YOU. I don't mean that I need your partnership, which I do. I need you. Twelve hours a day is not enough for me. I want _you_ in my life. I am so scared of all these emotions. But someone once told me that you love someone and you open yourself up to suffering. But it's all worth the struggle when you find someone that you know will lift you and will never let you fall. Someone that is always there. I'm so afraid, but I'm popping the heart into overdrive. You are the only person I have dropped my guard for...Don't let me fall, Booth."

The look on Booth's face was a look that even Brennan had not seen. It was a look of relief. A look of fulfillment. Love. Tears. Another waves of tears overwhelmed him. Despite his lack of energy, he reached his hand to the back of her head and closed the small gap between them. She kissed him deeply but pulled away fairly quickly.

"I will never let you fall. There's no reason for you to be scared anymore. Let it all go." She leaned back in and kissed him again. There were tears freely flowing from two sets of emotionally shot eyes and they melded together on one another's cheeks. He pulled her hand, inviting her into the giant hospital bed. She felt right in his arms. She had never felt right. Resting her head on his chest was healing her aching heart.

"Bones." She looked up at him not knowing if she would be experiencing some new emotion she had suppressed in the past.

"Marry me." Her eyes narrowed slightly and her mouth dropped slightly.

"WHAT? Booth you know what I think---"

"I know that you have rationalized your way out of love. Now you've opened yourself to it. Open yourself up more. Let me Let me in, Bones." He kissed her hoping that she would emit some sort of response.

"Let me in. I want to be with you every moment of every day. Marry me, Temperance Brennan."

"I'm so scared, Booth, I don't know how to do this. I don't know if I'll be a good wife to you, especially since I still do not believe fully in the concept of marriage. But I know you know. I know you can teach me. But I have to think it through. So logically speaking, I don't know how to be "in love", as you say, and you know the inner workings of love. I don't believe in marriage but you do. And if you know how love really works and you think marriage is best, the only logical answer to that request is yes." She smiled the most enormous passionate smile Booth had ever seen on her face. He grabbed her hand and placed it in his. Brennan fell asleep again, this time next to Booth encompassed in his powerful arms.


	4. The Humor in the Psychology

As his partner sleep soundly in his arms, he continued to glance toward the door with anxiety. What if one of their friends came in? What was he going to say to them? He thought maybe he should talk it over with Bones before they spilled the beans to the squints. It ached for him to wake her because she slept so peacefully, but he figured it was for the best.

"Bones." She stirred but didn't open her eyes.

"Bones." A large yawn escaped from her mouth as she turned gently towards him. "Hmm? What Booth?"

"I really love watching you sleep. You're so beautiful. But I think maybe we need to talk some things over before we spill the beans to everybody." Brennan looked at him with a mischievous yet slightly dumbfounded look on her face.

"I don't know what that means."

"Spill the beans---it means let the cat out of the bag---uh, well, in this case, it means tell the Squints that we're together. That we're getting married. Angela might have a heart attack if she walked in and saw us right now."

"Oh. Yes. I see what you mean. Although I believe it's highly improbable that Angela would have a heart attack. However she might scream. You are right. Before we let the bat out of the bag---"

"Cat, Bones, it's let the _cat_ out the bag."

"We should talk, Booth." They both nodded and looked intently into each others eyes. Brennan carefully rolled out of the hospital bed and sat back in the chair next to the bed.

_Meanwhile, a doctor updates Cam, Hodgins, Sweets and Angela who are in the waiting room._

"He is recovering very well. The surgery, as you know, went perfectly. The only complication was his reaction to the anesthesia. When he initially woke from the coma he was exhibiting early signs of post-surgery amnesia. However, a nurse walking by noticed that he woken up and we were able to administer some drugs to help reverse the effects. The drug works fifty-fifty. Mr. Booth responded to the drug and within the hour, his wife said that he was vague on detail but he remembered her and all of you."

Sweets stood up from his chair and lifted one of his hands to speak, "Excuse me doctor. His wife?"

"Yes, the woman laying next to him I assumed was his wife. Anyhow, you may go visit him if he welcomes you to. He should be discharged in a few days."

"Thank you, doctor." Sweets shook the doctor's hand and the doctor walked away in a hurried manor.

Sweets turned around and smirked at the rest of the group. "Brennan was laying in the hospital bed with Booth?!? The Doc's right; that's the sort of thing that wives and do. Most certainly not Temperance Brennans. I think that maybe we might have a relationship confession to hear. I'm going in." Before Sweets could even take a step towards the hallway, Hodgins grabbed his arm.

"Hold it, hold it, hold it. You think you're going to be the first one to interrogate? I don't think so, tiger." Hodgins turned towards the hallway and Angela reached out an grabbed him by both shoulders.

"No way. Are you kidding me? This is my territory." Angela tilted her chin up and before she could leave, Cam blurted out.

"This is Booth and Brennan we're talking about guys. Booth AND Brennan. Together. This is all of our business."

"You mean we ambush them?" Hodgins asked.

"Yeah, let's go, crew." Cam swung her arm towards the hallway and the army of friends marched towards Booth's hospital room. A strong knock on the room door startled Brennan so much that she nearly fell back in her chair.

"Whoa, Bones, scared much?" Booth chuckled lightly at Brennan and she flushed with embarrassment.

Angela put her mouth to the door, "Booth, the doctor said we could come visit you if you were fine with it. Are you fine with it?"

"Yeah! I'd love to see you." Booth was so exhausted that he couldn't speak loud enough for his visitors outside the door to hear.

"He says he would enjoy seeing you. Come on in." Brennan was even more startled when what she thought was only Angela was every one of their friends. Angela walked to the left side of Booth's bed and grabbed his hand.

"So the doctor said you are doing very well, Booth. We are really glad to see you awake again. It has, however, come to our attention that Brennan was laying in your hospital bed with you. This causes us a little concern."

"Booth seemed very depressed and my logic led me to lay next to Booth as a joke. My preconceived observations proved to be correct and Agent Booth and I shared a good hearty partner laugh."

"A partner laugh, Dr. Brennan?" Sweets folded his arms and remarked quite sarcastically.

"Yeah, Sweets. I was very depressed. I told Brennan to do something she wouldn't normally do to humor me. That was her choice. I did a similar thing for her not too long ago," Booth regarded the ceiling as if to recall something until he mindless muttered, "Although it didn't involve a bed." Sweets' interest seemed to be quite piqued as he moved closer to Booth's bed.

"None of you have anything to be concerned about. As Booth has stated on numerous occasions, our work in the field brings us to have great trust in one another. The very nature of an occupation that is hazardous on a daily basis causes a biologically symbiotic relationship. If Booth and I exercised any entropy whatsoever in our partnership, we would never be able to properly protect one another. Our partnership is built on the notion that we must take care of one another physically---and emotionally if need be."

"Wow, Dr. Brennan, I always thought you rarely listened to anything I say."

"Actually, Sweets, I only ignore the psychological analyses that you give. Most anything else you have to say seems to be quite valuable."

"So that means you listen to me about 3 out of 10 times I say something."

"Technically, no. I always listen, Dr. Sweets. I just usually find it humorous."

"Well, I knew that already anyway." Sweets turned his body to address Cam, Jack, and Angela whilst keeping Booth and Brennan in his peripheral vision to gauge their responses to his next statements.

"What Dr. Brennan just described to you is a genuine partnership in its truest form. Though Brennan's behavior in deciding to lay next to Booth may be, by a casual, untrained observer, a sign of love or of a budding relationship, it is as Dr. Brennan described; an incredibly close bond that, if needed, will manifest itself physically. It appears that the need arose. If you can see, the need is no longer there and Dr. Brennan is sitting in the chair next to Agent Booth instead of laying next to him in his hospital bed."

Dozens of thoughts were whisking through Booth's head sending him into a slight state of panic. _Is Sweets really buying this? He sounds like he's on our side. Wait, that means he knows. Does he know? There's no way. OH crap. _Booth quickly peeked at his right hand and all this time he and Brennan had been holding hands. He made eye contact with her and redirected her eyes to their hands until she understood what he was trying to say. Brennan sneakily placed her hand in her lap. _No one could have seen that right? Sweets. He gave me that "I'm lying" look. He knows. Look at the way he's controlling the Squints. He's actually very good. I think they might be buying this psychology lesson. Go Sweets! Keep going, man! They're getting shown up by a twelve year old. This is great. They are DEFINITELY buying it._

"As the only licensed professional psychologist in this room, and an expert on the behavioral patterns of these two particular people, I stand by my assessment of the situation at hand."

Angela, even more than a completely dumbfounded Cam, looked as if she had been hit with a baseball bat.

"Anything I was thinking about anything in the last ten minutes was just strangled, hung, and burned by whatever you just said."

"Sounded good to me." Hodgins smiled and nodded, pleased with himself that he understood a meager sentence of Sweets' speech.

"And I believe that if we let Agent Booth rest and not bother him with intrusive questions, he may get to go home tomorrow or in a few days. So let's leave the man to rest." Sweets tactfully guided everyone out of the room and turned to Booth and Brennan before he exited.

"Dr. Brennan---you too. I'd like to take you to get a cup of coffee." Sweets gave Brennan his best commanding look. She conceded, perhaps on physically. Booth looked up at her and smiled. The two retained their powerful stare as long as possible until Sweets stomped his foot on the floor. He placed his hand lightly on Brennan's upper back and led her out the door into the hallway.

_Half an Hour Later at the Royal Café_

Immediately after they had sat down, Sweets leaned into the table and spoke.

"What just happened, Dr. Brennan??" Up until this point, Brennan had been composed, even despite the close call at the hospital. But now she was panicked. She had to decide without Booth whether or not to tell Sweets what was going on. _I can't even make a simple decision without him here. I must be "in love". That's the way Booth describes it, I believe. Sweets already knows. If my assumption is correct, I might as well tell him._

"Dr. Sweets, before I tell you anything, you must swear to secrecy. And if you pull any sort of stunt like you did that one time---and that other time---and that one time when you----never mind. I'm going to tell you and you can't say anything to Cam, Hodgins, or Angela.

Sweets raised two fingers into the air. "I swear. Scout's Honor!"

"I don't know what that means."

"It's a sign of honor among the Boy Scout Tr---forget it. I swear, Dr. Brennan."

"Dr. Sweets, I believe I am in love with Booth."

"I already knew you were. I have been waiting for it. Dr. Wyatt made an observation about you two. He said that one of you is acutely aware of the attraction between you two and struggles with it daily. At first, my instinct was to assume Agent Booth since he has exhibited signs of great romantic affection for you from the very moment I met you both; and I do not believe it began there. But then I thought about Dr. Wyatt's statement and the truth of the statement became very clear to me; the person who really struggles it you, Dr. Brennan. Booth accepted that he loved you and had feelings for you a long time ago. The only thing that he struggles with is that you took so long to realize it. He knew it was there. And ever since he knew, he's been waiting for you. But you---you have struggled with the attraction between you and Agent Booth for some time. You didn't want to be emotionally obligated to anyone, even the person who knew you the best. And that's why, Dr. Brennan, Dr. Wyatt was talking about you. I know you are in love with Agent Booth. The question now is, now that you know and you have embraced it, what are you going to do next?"

"Booth and I are getting married."

Sweets' practically fainted. His big brown eyes widened and his mouth gaped.

"Wait. What just happened?"


	5. The Hairless Man in the Living Room

Booth was wheeled out the front door of the hospital at a steady pace. He placed his hands on the armrest of the wheelchair and slowly lifted himself to his feet. When he had completely stood up, the nurse that had brought him out, returned to the interior of the hospital. The pain in his head was much better than it had been eight days ago when he had woke up from his coma; although the doctor said he had to retain a very restful pattern of activity for at least another two weeks. Immediately when he stood up, Brennan was standing in front of him with a huge grin on her face. Every bone in her body want to jump on him in excitement but she had to restrain herself for obvious reasons.

"Well, somebody's excited." Booth took a few steps forward.

"Really? How could you tell?"

"You look like someone just told you that you were going on a field trip to look at bones. Lucky for me I get that field trip on a daily basis." He smirked and took a few more slow steps towards Brennan who was leaning on the door of the black Toyota Sequoia.

"Are you still really sensitive or are you currently able to administer physical affection?"

Booth laughed and put his hands firmly on his hips.

"You want a hug, Bones?" Nodding in approval, she walked the rest of the way to where Booth was standing. She wrapped her arms around his neck and began to cry. Booth placed his hands on her head and pulled her out of the hug and into eye level.

"Hey, you. What's wrong?"

"I--I just---I believe that my emotions are preventing me from articulating information properly." She began to cry more profusely. He used his thumb to tenderly wipe the tears from both sides of her face.

"Bones, what's the matter?"

"I don't deserve you, Booth."

"What are you talking about, Bones? The most beautiful women I have ever seen loves me. Loves me and not any other. You've met so many more intelligent and witty guys, but you chose me. You could have chose someone up to your social status. But you chose me. If anyone is undeserving, it's me. You put up with my crap day after day and still manage to smile and laugh with me at the end of the day. You know things about me that I won't tell anyone else. And yet, here we are and you are here for me."

"I--I---don't know---"

"You don't have to say anything. Let's just drive."

He pulled her back in and kissed her forehead. They shared a comforting smile and then climbed into the car. To Brennan's surprise, Booth didn't object to her driving. And if he had, she certainly wouldn't have let him. The drive was mostly quite except for the occasional telling glance. But for them, the looks, they were more than talking. They did all the talking. Of course, conversing with words always helps, but they had no immediate need. Booth needed comfort, Brennan widened her eyes, smiled halfway, and usually placed her hand on his. Brennan needed comfort, Booth would smile with his eyes and hold her in a tight embrace. "You complement each other." Sweets had said. Brennan had inserted her usual quip to make sure that nothing romantic was implied "Comp_le_ment, he means we complete each other---as partners." True, they complemented each other well as partners. But their really complementing had nothing to do with work.

They pulled up to the front of Booth's house. Just as Booth was about to let himself out of the car, Brennan placed her hand on his leg and shook her head vehemently at him. He swung his legs up and down like a little boy waiting for a popsicle on a hot day. When she came his side of the car, he very slowly climbed down as she placed her hand on his back to ensure he would not fall or trip.

"You just had brain surgery, Booth. I wouldn't want you sustain any unnecessary cranial fractures." He had nothing to say. All he could do was beam a loving grin at the woman who could make him smile at a moment's notice just by the ridiculously complicated way she said almost everything. They walked at a gruelingly slow pace up to his apartment.

"Bones, I'm not paralyzed. I can walk at normal speed."

"Oh. Well, we're here. So no harm done." Booth pulled out a key, stuck it in the key hole, and paused unexpectedly.

"What?" She inquired in bewilderment.

"Nothing. You know, since I don't have to worry about how long I'm aloud to look at you anymore, I find that I like doing it all the time." Brennan's cheeks reddened slightly before she chuckled with delight and opened the door herself. Booth waved her in and she immediately redirected herself towards his couch. He closed the door and locked a few different locks before joining her on the couch.

"The nurse said we could remove your head bandage when we got home--if you want to."

"I don't know, Bones. They shaved me completely. I don't have any hair."

"Anywhere??" Booth snorted.

"No, Bones---just my head. I always told my brother I would never shave my legs, even for swim team. It's just ridiculous. He did it. But I couldn't see the purpose. And it's very unmanly. But just my head."

"They why can't we take it off?"

"I guess I'm sort of scared." Booth looked to the ground and lifted one side of his mouth in embarrassment.

"Don't be ridiculous. It will certainly grow back. You hereditary genes indicate that lack of hair regrowth, or even hair receding is highly unlikely, Booth. I have great confidence that you will be just as visibly appeasing."

"Thanks. So what you're saying is that I'll still be hot?"

"Maybe---------come on, let's take off your bandages. I will be probably be good for your scalp to get some air." She reached to the back of his head for the beginning of the bandage. When she found it, she began to wind her hand around his head. It seemed like an eternity to Booth, who was not anticipating seeing his head without hair. He reached his hands up and began to feel every inch of his head, carefully avoiding the incision.

"Let's go look. Shall we?"

"You don't look shocked, Bones. I thought you'd be horrified."

"I had Angela draw me a picture of you without hair about a week ago so I could get used to it. It's really not all that bad. I wouldn't recommend you continue shaving your head. Only because I find your hair to be very---very hot."

"Well, Bren, that will always make me feel better if you add the words "you" and "hot" into the sentence."

"Bren?"

"I'm sorry. It just slipped out. If you don't like it, I won't----"

"No. I like it. It's one of the things I hoped you would call me."

"One?"

"Oh there's just one other."

"And that would be?" She blushed and turned away from him. His hand directed her face to look at him.

"Come on, _Bren. _Tell me."

"Babe."

"Oh **really**? Well, _Babe, _it just so happens that I was hoping you'd let me call that." They both laughed so hard that Booth lost his equilibrium for a moment. His loss of balance caused him to fall on Brennan. She lay with her head on the couch arm and Booth's face was about half and inch away from hers.

"It looks my options here are real slim, Babe." He smiled enticingly and kissed her passionately. He was hoping and begging that his body wouldn't get tired, but after a few minutes, the intensity was too much for him to handle. He pulled away, completely out of breath.

"So that was like our first real kiss. Real as in not forced or little kisses."

"I suppose you could make that assertion. About your bald head…." Booth cringed at the mention of his lack of hair again. "It's very pleasant to rub. I honestly do not have the honor of saying that I have, anytime before now, rubbed the bald head of a man." Before they could even laugh, a knock on the front door startled them both. Brennan tried to get up before him, but Booth quickly leaned over and kissed her again, driving her head back into the arm of the couch. As he slowly unraveled himself from the couch, Brennan laughed loudly. Booth looked back at her as he unlocked the door. When he opened it, he experienced a very specific emotion. Fear? Slightly. Anger? Not really. Aggravation? That's a given. Nervous. That's the one. Very very nervous.

"Sweets---uh----what are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you two. I was just about to ask Dr. Brennan what she was doing here, but I didn't even need to open the door to know that."

"Are either of you the slightest bit concerned that this may affect your ability to work with one another effectively?"

Booth slapped Sweets on the shoulder, "No! In fact, I think now that we're open about all of our feelings that we may be even more of a power house team."

"Well, you should be concerned. We need to talk."


	6. Trouble in the Doorway

"_We _need to talk, Sweets? Or do you just want to poke around in our heads a little so you don't feel like you're a little lost puppy?"

"Actually, Agent Booth, I already know of the situation between you and Dr. Brennan. I came here to give you some advice, not as a psychologist but as your---your fri--friend." It took every but of courage that Sweets was capable of harboring to assert that they were his friends. He loved them dearly and always hoped that they would see him as a friend someday. More than some mere nuisance of, as Booth would put it, "a child who happens to be a psychologist". He longed deeply to be a part of something. _Come on, Lance. Right now is not the time for me to sort through my feelings of insecurity about my personal life. It's time to be a friend. Friend---wow I hope this doesn't backfire. _

"What's the matter, Sweets? You body language suggests that you are incredibly apprehensive. You don't need to be nervous around us."

"Yeah, Sweets. You _are _our friend. You annoy me a ton, psychologically speaking. But otherwise, most of the time---I think you're a good kid." Sweets bowed his head and rubbed his eyes. When he looked up at Booth, he had to wipe more tears from his eyes. _Pull it together, Lance! _Sweets ran his hands along the front of his suit, tugged at the bottom and stood up straight.

"Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth. I believe that if the FBI heard of your engagement, your partnership would be terminated very quickly. Now I know that even before you both admitted to your mutual attraction for one another, that both of you would have been very upset at the termination of your partnership. I don't believe that has changed. Right now it would be a particularly important fact to note on your partnership evaluation that you two are now engaged. But I find that working through this _without_ the FBI would be a wise idea. That means that "couples therapy" is actually "couples therapy" now. I want to see you both every Tuesday like before. Oh, by the way, what is the date for the wedding?"

"Well," Booth looked back to Brennan, who was still sitting on the couch. "We haven't really talked about that yet." Sweets stepped away from the door and considerably closer to Booth.

"Dude! You're marrying Dr. Brennan and you haven't decided on a date yet?"

"We just haven't got to it, Sweets. Chill out, _dude. _And you are invading my personal bubble." Booth took a step back from the excited young man. "But, I think it will probably," Again Booth glanced back at Brennan, trying to gain her approval nonverbally. "be next month sometime."

"Wow. Um, if that's true then we have a lot of work to do. And seeing the small amount of time we have, I'm going to request that we up our session time to twice a week; Tuesday and Thursday."

"No way! If I have---"

"Do you want my cooperation, Agent Booth?" Sweets looked at the annoyed Booth with a half smile. Booth sighed greatly and collapsed onto the couch next to Brennan.

"Fine. Bren?"

"I am fine with it. Though I still don't like psychology."

"Dr. Brennan, you didn't like marriage either and here we are---you're getting married to your partner. Couldn't you open up to psychology too??"

" You know, Dr. Sweets, there is only so many new tricks you can teach to an old frog." The two men in the room burst out into laughter. Sweets was laughing so hard that he could barely stand. Brennan looked back and forth between Booth and Sweets, completely perplexed.

"What?" Booth tried to speak but he was so overcome with laugher that he was now lying down on the couch.

"Bones, it's you can't teach an old _dog _new tricks. And you are most certainly not old."

"I do not understand why my error of colloquialism is so comical." Booth managed to get control of his laughter and sit back upright. He leaned over to Brennan and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"And _that_ is why I love you." An indignant look spread across Brennan's face.

"Is that the only reason you love me?"

"What do you think, Bones?" Her unhappy countenance quickly turned to expression of mischief. She attempted to shove him, but with one swift movement, Booth had her pinned against the arm of the couch again. Sweets smirked at what he was hoping he would one day see. But to his disappointment they merely gazed into each others' eyes for a few moments before returning to their original positions.

"Don't think we're going to satisfy your desire to see us make out, Sweets."

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure about that, Agent Booth. I have magical powers." Booth began unbuttoning his white long sleeve shirt and smirked at Brennan. Shocked, Sweets took a step backwards. "Whoa! Do you need me to leave?"

"That would be a great idea, Dr. Sweets." Brennan was quite humored by the speed at which Sweets bolted for the door. "Nice one." Brennan said chuckling.

"Thanks. I figured that one would get him to Mars in about half a second." He looked at her lovingly, hoping she would smile. When she smiled, he nearly swooned every time. It was difficult all these years not being able to tell her how he actually felt about her. But now that he had been granted that freedom, he didn't have to hold back. What was once considered forbidden in Brennan's mind was now a pleasure. Typically they would share a romantic moment and merely stare at each other. Booth had always felt the strong urge to kiss her in those moments but settled for gazing into her beautiful eyes. Those moments were not any less frequent now, but he wasn't really trying very hard to suppress that urge any longer. He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the kitchen.

"You ready for dinner, babe?"

"I'm making dinner, Seeley." He smiled at her and tilted his head slightly. "Seeley?"

"Well, if you don't want me to---"

"I do. I like it."

"Is there anything else you hoped I would call you?" Brennan wrapped her arms tightly around Booth's waist and looked up at him.

"Nothing I don't already call you."

"You want me to call you Bren??" Booth rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I would love it if you called me Bren."

"That is strange, Booth."

"Sarcasm, Bones. Sarcasm."

"So what do you want me to call you?" Booth took a moment to contemplate her request before responding immediately. Although he always loved their quick banter.

"Whatever you want."

"Alright. I'll call you Seeley. And 'babe', at your request."

"You were just messin' with me!! You are a crafty woman Temperance Brennan! Let's order takeout" A nod and smile of approval from Brennan caused Booth to make the four inches between them into a mere one inch. "Let's order first." Brennan said as she pulled out her phone and held it to her ear. She usually didn't have to say much because they ordered Thai food so often. They were frequent and well loved customers. So a mere 'yes' and 'thank you' and she put her phone on the counter behind her. Booth kissed her chin ever so lightly. Never before had Booth seen the look she was giving him. A look that said 'I love you'. _It's nice to be loved. _

_Half an Hour Later. _

They were stuffed to the brim. Usually they didn't eat so much, but it was far to much fun to feed one another. Brennan rested her head on his lap and she pulled one of his hands to her lips.

"It just occurred to me that you have never said those three beautiful words that your husband-to-be is begging to hear from you." She leaned up and kissed him delicately. "I love you, Seeley Booth." Within a few moments she fell asleep as Booth stroked her soft brown hair.

"I love you, Temperance."


	7. Bickering in the Bureau

_Ugh, why does my head hurt? Oh, right. My back aches. Couch. Great, Booth._

Booth sat up painfully slow. He had fallen asleep on the couch, which he knew would have some uncomfortable repercussions. After he extended into a fully upright position, he strolled very cautiously to the kitchen. Reaching for the medicine cabinet above the refrigerator was far beyond Booth's physical abilities at the moment. He grabbed the bottle of ibuprofen and took a few before throwing it back into the cabinet. A pan on the stove served as a reminder that he had decided to make Brennan breakfast the night before. Booth skillfully whipped together a batch of pancakes in a matter of a few minutes. He was used to making pancakes several times a week. Parker loved them. Truth be told, Booth himself could never resist a plate of pancakes and often made them for himself when Parker wasn't around.

After about half an hour, Booth a full plate of pancakes topped with fresh raspberries and syrup ready to give to the still sleeping Brennan. He walked as quietly as possible to his room where he had placed her after she fell asleep in his arms. Booth placed the pancakes a couple inches away from her face hoping that she would wake up to the smell. She started to stir, and then she smiled as she cracked her eyes open. Her eyes widened with excitement at the golden brown plate of pancakes before her eyes. She sighed and looked at the culprit of her happiness. There was her Booth. Kneeling there, waiting for her to wake up. Brennan sat up slightly, taking the plate from Booth.

"Thanks, Babe. This looks delicious." Booth laughed with delight and kissed her sweetly on the forehead.

"You are very welcome, Bones."

"Are you going to eat?"

"Probably in a little while."

"Oh come on, Booth. Go get yours and come in here! Eat with me." She pleaded with him until he conceded and left to the kitchen. He returned shortly with his plate and a large glass of orange juice. Brennan was sitting up against the headboard and tapping her outstretched legs together in eagerness. Setting the plate and glass of orange juice on the nightstand, Booth jumped on the bed and wrapped his strong arms around Brennan. Lucky for Booth, she had also put her plate on the nightstand after he left to get his plate of food. They laughed a little and after a few minutes, the smiles faded into looks of deep affection. Brennan maintained the loving gaze as she reached for her plate. The action was mimicked exactly by Booth. They finally broke the loving gaze and started to eat their pancakes.

"Mmm. Wow, Booth. These are AMAZING pancakes!"

"Well, I make them all the time for Parker. And when I have time I make them for myself."

"I'm almost offended that you haven't shared these with me up until now." Brennan looked at him caustically and rested her head on his shoulder. She wished moments like that would continue for hours and maybe someday soon they would. But right now, it was about to be interrupted.

"Booth," She lifted her head off his shoulder and placed her hand on his leg in alarm. "What time is it?? Booth took a quick look at his watch and his eyes widened with panic.

"It's 8:46! We gotta go or we'll miss our session with Sweets----not that I'd mind."

"Booth! You know we have to go or he will tell on us." Booth rolled his eyes back into his head and sighed in disgust.

"Let's go."

_About Half and Hour Later_

"So I thought we were doing something new and here we are filling out giant question packets again."

"They're standardized psychological profile questionnaires, Booth. Not 'giant question packets'."

"Actually, Dr Brennan they are very differ---"

"Sweets, shush. And making that clarification was necessary why??"

"Because it's a very important distinction to make."

"On what planet, Bones?"

"The Psychology Planet!" Sweets sat up in his chair, seeming pleased that Brennan had given him his own planet. Over the last two years, Sweets had learned that the most he could do when they were bickering endlessly was to write down his observations and enjoy himself.

"Last time I checked, the planet that replaced Pluto wasn't called the Psychology Planet."

"What if it was?"

"It wasn't."

"BUT what if it was, Booth?"

"Then I'm guessing it would be your least favorite planet." His last statement seemed to diffuse her need to continue on bickering. They both looked several times from their questionnaires to each other. Booth leaned towards Brennan slightly. She pulled her questionnaire in to her body and held onto it as if it were a teddy bear.

"Booth, nothing has changed since last time. I am not letting you look at my questionnaire. "

"Agent Booth, cheating is not acceptable. This is not even a graded test. Cheating would not benefit either of you. In order for me to get the most out of your questionnaire, it's best that you write your own answers. Angela was right about you two." Brennan looked up abruptly from her questionnaire and at Sweets in puzzlement.

"Angela was right about us? I don't know what that means, Dr. Sweets."

"Umm, well, it was just an observation she made about you both. Nothing pertinent to the situation. Continue on."

"I believe it is pertinent to the situation, Dr. Sweets."

"It really isn't." Booth set his questionnaire on the coffee table and bent forward onto his knees.

"Sweets, I will hang you upside down from your pinky toe outside your office window. If my partner thinks it's relevant, it's relevant." Sweets looked like he had to swallow an entire orange before he could speak.

"Agent Booth, how many times have I told you that intimidating me is not a good way to get what you want---it's very very bad. It works well, but that's beside the point! All Angela said was that you two were already married. You act just like an old married couple. I tend to agree with that statement. And now that you are getting married, you aren't very different in your relationship it seems. You bicker and stare lovingly into each others' eyes, creating an unreal amount of sexual tension that begs for resolution. But you sit there and then once you seem to have gotten enough gazes into one moment, you resume as if nothing ever happened. It's very interesting to watch. If I had a dime for every time you two look at each other like that, I would definitely be rich."

"I don't know what that means."

"Just finish your questionnaire, Dr. Brennan and we can discuss modern colloquialisms later if you wish." She nodded and resumed her writing. Whilst Booth looked very agitated as he made a quick scrawl on the bottom of his questionnaire before setting it back on the coffee table.

"Are you finished, Agent Booth?" Booth merely stared Sweets down with a look of disdain.

"I'll take that as an aggravated yes. I want you two in for a session at nine this evening to go over your questionnaires."

"Dr. Sweets, I thought we agreed to twice a week, not twice a day twice a week."

"Well, I just need an extra session so we can go over these tonight. There will only be a one a day after this, okay?"

"This is ridiculous." Booth mumbled under his breath. "Come on, Booth. Just get over it."

Booth crossed his arms and slouched in his chair. "Fine." Brennan set her questionnaire on the coffee table after a few more minutes and stood up.

"So nine a clock post meridian, Dr. Sweets?"

"Yes. I will see you two then." She grabbed Booth by the arm and yanked him out the door.

"You know, I feel better the instant I step out of his office. Let's go get ourselves a case shall we??" Booth smirked at Brennan and grabbed her by the shoulder.

They smiled at each other and got on the elevator. As the elevator doors closed, Brennan's voice trailed off, "I can't wait to see what you wrote about me on your questionnaire. Nine a clock is a long time aw----"


	8. The Doctor in Distress

_9:04 pm -That Evening._

"Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan, thank you for coming for a second time today. I just thought it very important to get these questionnaires reviewed as soon as possible before I go on vacation. So that's why I brought you here th---"

"Wait, _you're_ taking a vacation?? Did you bring us here just so you could tell you were taking a vacation?"

"I am going to New York for four days for a psychological conference, Agent Booth." Booth sank back into his side of the couch and put his hand over his face. He shook his head back and forth as he began to laugh.

"That is most definitely NOT a vacation."

"I would have to agree with Booth." Brennan shook her head in affirmation to her own statement.

"I'm sorry, Bones, but you think going to Peru to identify ancient remains is a vacation. You have no credence in this conversation."

"Wow, Booth, 'credence' is a big word for you."

"Whoa, guys," Sweets scooted to the edge of his seat to get their attention. "Let's get to the questionnaires so we can all go home. And no, Agent Booth. That is not why I brought you here this late. I already told you why I brought you here." Booth and Brennan stopped speaking, but their bickering raged on just as well without words.

"Guys. Look at me." They both obeyed reluctantly, peeling their pugnacious looks away from each other.

"Now I am not going to go through all of the questions, just the ones I find particularly important to the session right now. Here's how this will work: I am going to read the question and the response from both of you and then I want each of you to react to one another's response---nicely. Okay?" Booth folded his arms in contempt but nodded his head. Brennan merely shrugged her shoulders.

"Alright, first question: What first attracted you to your partner? Partner referring to your relationship not your established work partnership as contracted by the Jeffersonian and the FBI. Agent Booth wrote that he was first attracted to your deep sensitivity and kindness. Dr. Brennan wrote that she was first attracted to your amazing ability to care for any person, no matter how difficult they are. Agent Booth you can respond first." Booth leaned towards Brennan and planted a kiss on her cheek. She smiled and responded by grabbing his hand and squeezing it tightly before releasing it. Sweets looked frustrated and amused at the same time.

"Well, I know very well that the non-verbal communication between you two is working properly, I just want to hear your responses verbally. So let's try it again. Agent Booth?"

"Bones," Booth looked into her eyes to see if she had forgiven him for his rudeness to her only a few moments before. As he fished through a sea of emotion, she finally smiled halfway. Booth copied her smile and mumbled a quiet 'thank you'. Unexpectedly, Brennan fell into Booth's arms and began to cry. He tried to remain calm as he stroked her hair, but his inner feelings were weeping along with her. There was nothing to indicate to Booth what she might be crying about, but he hated to see her cry like that. After a few minutes, Brennan looked up at Booth. Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were drenched with tears.

"Hey, Bren, why are you crying?" He cupped her chin in his hand and held her hand firmly. When she lifted her hand to wipe away tears, Booth caught her hand and kissed it lightly before wiping away her tears with his own hand. She sniffled and tried to gain some composure.

"What you said----on your questionnaire---is that true?"

"Of course it is. Every word."

"Thank you, Booth. Thank you for seeing me." Booth merely smiled and drew her back into his arms. Had it been the arms of anyone else, she might have felt as if she were hanging on to the edge of a cliff. But in Booth's arms she felt like she was miles from the edge.

"Sweets, can we just do this on Thursday when we're not so tired after a long day at work?" _For once Booth is not scowling at me while he makes a request. Guess I can't say no._

"Sure. Let's resume this next week. Have a good night, you two. Get some rest." Sweets' face drooped in sadness as he stood up and turned to walk to his desk.

"Sweets." He turned around at the sound of Booth's beckoning. "You okay?"

"I am fine, Agent Booth."

"You needed to tell us something, didn't you? That's why you brought us here after work---isn't it? What happened?" Booth could tell that Sweets was definitely choking back tears and a lot more emotion than he was showing.

"It's stupid---"

"Just tell us, Sweets!" Brennan commanded with urgency

"My dog died----See, I told you it was stupid."

Brennan had, since Booth started talking, regained some control over her overflowing emotions.

"Dr. Sweets, it is not stupid to be morose from the loss of a canine companion. I myself shed a few tears when Ripley died. Come on, Booth; let's take him to get some ice cream." Sweets squeezed his eyes shut for a instant and opened them once he felt like no tears were going to accidentally creep out. He then threw a sarcastic look at Brennan.

"Dr. Brennan, I am not a child. I can go out for a drink."

"I know, Sweets. Booth and I want ice cream. We were going to go afterwards anyway so I thought you might want to join us. And I know you like ice cream a lot more than you like drinking alcoholic beverages. Right, Booth?" Booth had evidently been distracted while Brennan was talking. When he heard his name he shook his head slightly and looked towards Sweets.

"What?? Yeah. Ice cream!" Sweets and Brennan chuckled a little and Booth smiled back at them. The eager Booth stood up first and bolted for the door, while Brennan trailed after Sweets and shut the door behind her. She hoped that her embarrassing display of emotion would be shut in Sweets office, but she knew that all Booth ever wanted was for her to offer up a piece of herself and become closer to those she loved. One step at a time, he had told her. She had taken the first step. It was small, but it had taken every bit of strength she had to share her feelings. As they rode down three stories on the elevator, Booth smiled sweetly and gave Brennan that look of reassurance she always begged for in times like these. She had done well, and he was proud of her. But she still had something important to tell him and she was so nervous that even his kind look was not enough to alleviate her anxiety.


	9. The Ring in the Kitchen

They had spent several hours at the Royal Diner. What was first meant to be just an ice cream outing, turned into a full meal. Booth insisted that he buy some French fries for Brennan. Brennan insisted on buying Booth a hamburger. Sweets insisted on buying everyone a giant plate of spaghetti. With that much food ordered to their table, they had plenty of time to delve deep into conversation. By the end of the night, Sweets seemed to be back to his usual, happy self. Around eleven thirty, Booth decided that he and Brennan should take him home so he could pack for his trip. After a twenty minute drive, they pulled up to Sweet's house. Sweets got out of the black Sequoia and leaned his head back in.

"Thank you, guys. Really----thank you." A look of sincere gratitude crossed Sweets' face as he spoke. He nodded a few times and then walked to his front door and entered his home. Brennan smiled slightly but only in attempt to hide her feelings of angst. She didn't know how to tell him. Well, really it was more of an asking sort of thing. Brennan didn't typically like asking for things, so in her mind it was more like telling. Over the years she had gotten used to asking Booth for things, but this time she was reverting back to her safe zone where she didn't technically have to ask.

"Booth, can we go back to your place?"

"If you want to. I don't care if we go to your place. But if you're saying you want to go to my place just to be nice then I really just want you to tell me."

"No. I really do want to go to your place." Booth placed his hand behind the head rest of her seat and grinned amiably.

"Okay, Bones. We'll go to my place."

A mere ten minute drive and they were at Booth's apartment. Most of the time, it was nice that a large majority of their friends all lived within a twenty minute radius of each other. On occasion, the uninvited visit caused some strife but most other cases, the close proximity was appreciated.

As Brennan struggled inwardly with how to ask Booth her question, Booth struggled to hold back the huge smile that matched his emotions. It had become a force of habit over the last few years for Booth to hide his true excitement. He was delighted that she wanted to go back to his place. Before they stepped out of the car, Booth put his hand on hers and smiled slightly.

"I have a surprise for you." He quickly got out the car and didn't even wait to see her reaction. Booth ran around to Brennan's side of the car and opened her door for her. Despite the excitement that Booth could no longer hold in, they walked at a leisurely pace up to his apartment. As soon as they walked through the door, Brennan made a beeline for the kitchen. Booth could see her distress even with her back turned to him. Her body language exuded uneasiness. He ran to his bedroom and grabbed a small box off of his dresser. When he got to the kitchen, he saw Brennan scanning the refrigerator. He snuck up behind her and kissed her softly on the cheek as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Oh come on, Bones, don't tell me you're hungry after all that spaghetti we ate." She seemed to be fighting his embrace slightly. "I know you're looking for a beer, Bren. You are in serious misery over something. "Here," He pulled his hand back and pulled the box out of his pocket. Booth popped the box open and put it a couple inches from Brennan's face. "I got this for you this afternoon."

Any feeling of distress that she had was completely wiped away for the moment when she saw Booth's utterly beautiful gift; a stunning diamond ring with a medium sized diamond in the middle and two smaller ones on each side. Without escaping his arms, Brennan turned around and wrapped her arms tightly around Booth's neck. After holding him for a few minutes, she loosen her embrace so she could look at his face.

"Booth!! How did you---"

"Anything for my Bones. Do you like it??" Booth looked slightly worried as he waited for her answer.

"Of course I like it, Booth---I love it. It's beautiful." Booth loosened their embrace even more so he could put the ring on her finger. As he slid it gently on her finger, a few tears slid down Brennan's face. Booth's smile faded into concern as he, for the second time that day, was wiping away her tears.

"You're crying an awful lot today, Bren."

"I'm just overwhelmed with a superfluous amount of emotions that I am not used to Booth. I am happy, just overwhelmed. I really don't deserve you." Booth reached out and held both of her hands.

"Hey----hey. We talked about this already. Don't do this to me. Let's go sit on the couch and you can tell me what's been weighing you down. He released one of her hands and led her to the couch with the other.

"So what do you need to tell me?"

"It's more of an asking sort of thing."

"Asking, huh? Whatever it is, I am proud that you're asking me. Thanks." His small declaration of gratitude gave her an extra bit of confidence. She looked nervously from his eyes to his legs.

"Well, you know how before your surgery we agreed that I wouldn't have that baby because you wanted to be the father?" Booth smiled at the prospect of what he was hoping she would ask.

"Yeah??"

"I was hoping, that you had maybe----changed your mind." _There it is. She came around._

"About what, Bren?" His smile didn't change as he asked the question when he already knew the answer. Brennan hesitated before she spoke.

"Being-----the father of my child----our child."

"Well, everything we do now implies that we will both be involved. That's how this marriage thing works. I changed my mind because I wanted to be involved----not because I didn't want to be the father. I thought you had changed your mind."

"I had to sort through all these new emotions, Booth. There were---are so many. But after you helped me sort out of a few of the bigger ones, I found that, I would still like to have a child. I don't know how to do any of this. But you do. And I know that you can help me do it right." Booth rested one of his hands on the armrest of the couch and he kissed Brennan fervently. She deepened the kiss until both were forced to come up for air. Brennan rested her head on his shoulder.

"Bones. I already said it: you're going to be a great mom. And I am going to help you by being a great dad. I love you and am never going to leave you----ever. Things aren't necessarily going to be easy but we'll stick together. We're partner's in the work world and partners in the personal world. We always have been. The only difference now is that we've added love to the equation."

"Thank you, Booth." He could feel her distress disintegrate into the air when he began to rub her back. "Booth, these clothes are very uncomfortable, do you have something more comfortable I could wear?"

"Yeah. Come here." They walked to Booth's bedroom. Brennan sat down on one side of the bed as Booth searched through his drawers. For some reason, she was surprised at how clean and tidy Booth's room was. His bed was very neatly made, his clothes were all hung, and he had all his watches in a straight line on the coffee table by his bed. Booth finally pulled out a shirt and some sweat pants. He sat next to her on the bed and placed them in her lap.

"Here you go. Hope those are okay." Brennan got up and headed towards his bathroom.

"They look fine, Booth." She only disappeared for about a minutes before she reappeared in Booth's black shirt he had bought when they went to Vegas and his favorite grey sweatpants. She was swimming but Booth smiled at how adorable she looked.

"You look cute in my clothes, Bones." Brennan blushed at his nonchalant statement before sitting on the bed next to him.

"So what else did you write on your questionnaire about me, Booth??"

_An Hour Later_

They talked about everything and anything. How they would take care of a child and how the _wouldn't _take care of a child. They bickered on who's stuff was going to go where, which car was going to be used when; more importantly, who was going to drive. How they were going to hide their engagement for another month.

Booth and Brennan laid side by side on Booth's bed as they stared at the ceiling, pondering everything before them. Brennan began to blink heavily before she could no longer keep her eyes open. She scooted closer to Booth and rested her head on his chest. Booth put his arm behind her neck and stroked her soft brown hair. They continued to talk for another half and hour. After awhile, their speech became inaudible to each other and Brennan fell asleep. Booth kissed her on her forehead and then happily rested his exhausted mind with the only person that he had ever really wanted in his arms.


	10. The Thanks in the Story

First off, I apologize to those who are on my Story Alert list and thought this was a new chapter; I will be posting a new one late this evening! SO hang in there. I just would like to take a paragraph and thank all my faithful readers for your kind and gracious reviews of my story. This is my first real fan fiction story and I thank you for sticking with me, even if some of the chapters are not as good as you might hope. I appreciate your spell checks, cannonical corrections and hints at what you might like to see! Keep the reviews coming folks! They truly are an encouragement to write and update on a regular basis =) THANKS!

-----------------------------Cheers!-------------------------------------

Alexandra (Jasperwright)


	11. The Black Car in the Street Pole

A.N Before I give you this fun chapter, I'd like to thank my fabulous beta reader, Valerie. She actually beta read them after I post them. So if they get better after they're posted, that's why =P

Also, I am changing a few of the chapter titles to be more congruent with the style of the newer one--hope y'all don't mind! Enjoy.

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The morning came very quickly. They had fallen asleep close to two in the morning. Booth's phone rang loudly. Brennan shifted slightly closer to Booth, obviously irritated by the noise. However, it was not possible for Booth to ignore his phone in anyway. He reached in the pocket of his black dress slacks and pulled out his phone.

"Booth." He listened for several minutes without making much of a response other than "ok" and "sure". He hung up and sighed heavily when he replaced his phone to his pocket.

"Bones." She stirred again, but a pleasant smile told him that she wasn't aggravated at all. Booth really didn't want to wake her up. He knew that she could always use the extra sleep as much overtime as she put in at the Jeffersonian. And as of late, she'd also been putting in plenty of emotional overtime. He wished he could let her sleep all day long but they had a case to work. Whilst he was running his hands through her hair, he kissed her ever so lightly on the cheek.

"Hey, Bren. We have a case. We need to get up and kick it." She opened her eyes slowly and already a confused look spread across her face. Booth got up and walked to the bathroom and pulled his toothbrush out of the medicine cabinet.

"Kick what?" She scooted herself to the edge of the bed and hung her legs off the side in attempt to see Booth without actually getting up. Booth peaked his head out of the bathroom and started talking with his toothbrush hanging from his mouth.

"You know, get to it! Work it! Beat it!" He pumped his fist in excitement before leaning back into the bathroom to rinse his mouth.

"Oh ok. Kick it. I like that. I think I might actually have the ability to retain that one. Do you think I have time for a shower?"

"Yeah, we have about an hour before we have to get going. Want me to run over to your place and get you something to change into while you're in the shower?"

"Are you kidding?" Brennan crossed her arms and gave Booth an indignant look.

"Oh c'mon, Bren. Just because I wear crazy socks, it doesn't mean I don't know what fashion is. And besides, don't you think I know your wardrobe well enough??" He walked out of the bathroom and over to where she was sitting. He bent over, put his hands on either side of her, and gave her his infamous and overtly charming smile. Brennan hated it when he smiled like that because it was so hard for her to say no to anything. He breathed in deeply before kissing her. Once he released her, he whispered in her ear, "Trust me." He pulled back to see her reaction and it was quite evident that he had completely enchanted her.

"Seeley Booth, you can't do that every time you want something." He moved back in and smiled again.

"Really? Is that so??" He kissed her again and laughed as he saw her face redden. She started to laugh along with him, although she was not completely certain why. Most of the new feelings that she was truly experiencing for the first time were frightening and generally unwelcome. But this was not one of those feelings. This was the feeling that she could truly be herself and know that the person before her would never judge her for that. She finally gave in and pushed him towards the door.

"Booth, you better not screw up!" She gave him a look of reprimand even though he hadn't yet done anything wrong. Booth ran back at Brennan and tackled her flat on the bed. Laughter ensued again. He planted a kiss on her forehead.

"I love you, Temperance." She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair.

"I love you too, Booth."

Booth stood up and started back towards the door but was stopped. Brennan grabbed him by his loosened red tie and pulled him back.

"Booth, I mean it!! Don't screw up."

"Oh shush. Whatever I bring you will look beautiful on you regardless of whether or not I screw up. Just trust me, okay? I wouldn't purposely sabotage your wardrobe for the day. I picked you that nice dress that one time, remember? You liked that a lot!"

"If I recall correctly, you were speechless." It was Booth's turn to blush. But he wouldn't let her see it. He tried to smile it away but it came despite all his efforts.

"What can I say, I have the most beautiful fiancé this world has ever seen. Ok I gotta go and you have to shower. Love you!" He ran out the door and didn't even grab his coat. Brennan just shook her head in delight and began to sift through Booth's drawers to find some clothes to put on after her shower until he came back. When she pulled open the top drawer she noticed a small navy blue notebook underneath some neatly folded t-shirts. She really wanted to pull it out and see what it was. But after mulling over the idea of possibly doing something that would offend or aggravate Booth, she decided against it and went to take her shower.

Half and hour later.

Brennan finished showering and plopped herself on the living room couch. As she reached for the remote to the TV, she caught a glimpse of the beautiful ring that Booth had given her the night before. She gazed at it. The prospect of marriage was still frightening to her but staring at that ring made her remember how much Booth really loved her and was willing to do anything for her. She turned on the TV, hoping to maybe catch the DC traffic report so that she and Booth could get to their case as quickly as possible. Brennan mindlessly flipped through the channels, not even looking at the screen. But when she finally got to the local DC news station, the remote involuntarily fell out of her hand. She leaned in closer to the TV and her face went pale. Without a seconds hesitation, she grabbed Booth's coat instead of her own and ran downstairs. The words she had just heard clanged loud in her head. _We're live with breaking news. On 16__th__ and K street there has been a massive five car accident. One witness says a blue Honda Odyssey ran through a red light and t-boned a Camry. A black Sequoia was then rear ended while it was at a red light. The Sequoia slid into the intersection and was clipped by another vehicle, which sent the Sequoia rolling into the light post on the east corner of K Street. Ambulances have yet to arrive. _The accident was only a block from Booth's apartment, so she didn't even bother driving. She sprinted down the sidewalk, unconcerned by the people she ran into. When she arrived, there was a huge crowd of people on many sides of the street. Everyone was trying to see, everyone was trying to figure out was had happened. Brennan pushed her way through the crowd so that she could get to the front. She could hear the always frantic noise of an ambulance rushing from the west. All the shoving finally paid off when she was able to get past the police tape. None of the officers seemed to notice her at first. She could see the EMTs rushing directly for the crushed black Sequoia by the light post. All she could do was watch as they worked to pull an unconscious man out of the car. Fear clouded any judgment that she had. After nearly ten minutes, the firefighters who had arrived on the scene had removed him from the car once the EMTs could not pull him out easily. The EMTs began transferring the man onto the stretcher. Upon seeing the man, Brennan could barely breath. She began running towards the EMTs, indifferent to the fact that several police officers immediately started to chase her. Once she reached them, one EMT looked up at her.

"Ma'am I need you to get back behind the police line. We need to be able to work unbothered." Before he was even finished speaking, they started to run the man towards the ambulance. There was a lot of blood on the ground. The EMTs had left his shirt lying on the ground. Brennan dropped to her knees and began to sob uncontrollably. She couldn't even hold herself up as she cried. "BOOTH!!"


	12. Panic in the Lobby

**A/N ** Now that I've teased you long enough, I proudly give you the next chapter. Enjoy!! Don't forget to tell me what you think =) I hope this makes up for my making you wait so long =P

Brennan sprinted as fast as she could back to Booth's apartment. The speed at which she had arrived at the scene had nearly doubled on the way back. Tears streamed down her face and it felt as if they were freezing to her cheeks. The cold air was something that Brennan usually would have noticed but there was only room for one thing in her mind at the moment. She was finally getting to drive Booth's other black car without her having to beg him endlessly. But it didn't mean anything now. Nothing did. The cold, the car, her shortness of breath, her raging emotions. None of it mattered. She just wanted to get to the hospital.

The hospital was only a ten minute drive from Booth's apartment. Brennan liked to consider herself a conscious and law-abiding driver, but according to her distressed mind, speeding was perfectly acceptable. She cut the driving time in half and ran inside to the admitting desk. A small, middle aged woman in light blue scrubs leaned forward onto her elbows and greeted Brennan.

"Hello, ma'am. How can I help you?" As Brennan began to speak, her vision began to blur and everything seemed to be spinning.

"Can you---can----Booth, See----" She collapsed onto the floor, unconscious. The panicked desk attendant paged for a medical team on the overhead system. Within in a minute, four nurses and a stretcher were at the front desk and they quickly took Brennan to a room. She thought that she could hear one of the nurses, but she was unsure if she was dreaming or otherwise.

"She's fine. She just collapsed from exhaustion. Her heart rate is high and she's low on fluid. Let's get some saline going."

_Two Hours Later_

Brennan slowly opened her eyes and found herself lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to a heart monitor and an IV. She had remembered that familiar beeping sound that she heard for days on end as she waited for Booth to wake up from his coma. _BOOTH. _Brennan started frantically pushing the call button on the side of her bed. For nearly ten minutes, she tried to remain calm and keep her emotions under control as she waited for a nurse. But tears began to fall once again without her permission. The young woman who walked into the room was dressed in chocolate brown scrubs and wore a smile of great compassion on her face.

"Ms. Brennan, what can I do for you??" She quickly modified her question when she saw Brennan's tears.

"Are you in pain, Ms. Brennan."

Brennan shook her head and sat up in the bed.

"No. No, my fiancé is here. I want to see him. There was a----there was an accident on K Street. He was injured severely and----and-----I want to see him. I can't sit here and not know anything. I need to know that he's alright------please-----PLEASE let me see him! I feel fine." The woman moved next to Brennan and grabbed her hand.

" I'll see what we can do. I'm going to go get a wheelchair and we'll find out where your fiancé is. What's his name, dear?"

"Booth. Seeley Joseph Booth." The nurse smiled softly and quickly left the room. Another ten minutes passed by and the nurse reappeared with a wheelchair.

"He's on the second floor in room twelve. He's fine, Ms. Brennan. I can take you to see him." Brennan breathed a heavy sigh of relief and got up hurriedly.

"Thank you. I can go myself, thank you."

"I'm afraid, you're still hooked up to and IV and you're not quite ready to come off it yet. It's best that I just take you up there. I'm a fast driver, I promise." Brennan gave a look of disapproval and sank into the wheelchair. They arrived quickly at Booth's room, just as the nurse promised. Brennan pushed the door slowly open. Booth was awake and staring at the television. At the sound of the door opening he glanced over to see who had interrupted his peace. Instead of aggravation, his face filled with joy at the sight of his intruder. His left arm was bandaged from his wrist up to his elbow. Small bandages were scattered around his face in various lengths and sizes.

"Bren! What happened to you?!?" As Booth sat up, concern flooded his eyes. The nurse smiled again and left the room silently.

"I'm fine, Booth. I just collapsed from exhaustion. I promise you, I'm fine. You're the one I'm worried about!"

"Look, Temperance, I'm alright. You don't need to be worried about me anymore, okay?" Brennan got up out of the wheelchair and walked to Booth's bed.

"But there was so much blood, Booth!"

"I know. I had a pretty deep laceration in my arm and my shin is broken. But the airbag kept me from sustaining any head injury and that's the important part. I only lost consciousness from the blood loss. The part of my car that was smashed was the rear. Most people would be dead from that kind of crash. But I'm barely even hurt. I'm just scratched up a little bit. It's a miracle that I am here talking to the most beautiful woman on earth. I know you don't believe in God, Temperance, but I do and I KNOW He was watching me and He's the only reason I'm alive." She couldn't speak. She was tired of letting her emotions go. It was happening so frequently and she didn't know how to control them any longer. Booth reached his right hand out to her and she grabbed onto it tightly. He moved to the edge of the bed and stood up very slowly. He grabbed her other hand and took a step towards her. The emotions that Brennan was so deeply fighting, Booth could see. He knew when she was hurting and when she was afraid to show her true emotions. And he knew better than anyone else that sometimes it's best to let your emotions out.

"Bren, come here. It's okay to let go. I'm never going to judge you for your emotions. Ever."

She fell into his chest and started to cry. The pain from his broken ribs caused him to groan, but Brennan didn't hear him. He stroked her hair and moved his large hand up and down her tense back. After a few minutes, Brennan stopped crying and moved back enough so she could look into Booth's eyes. He pushed her hair out of her eyes and placed it gently behind her ears. His hand traced the delicate jaw line of her face and then rested on the tip of her chin. She turned her head away slightly.

"Bren, you don't have to be afraid of loving me anymore, remember? It's okay to feel that way." Booth moved her face back to face his and smiled just barely before he folded himself into her trembling lips. All of the times he had kissed her before were intense and almost urgent. But now he was slow and yet still filled with passion. He pulled away and looked in her eyes. They had become noticeably less distressed. A small smile spread across her mouth as he stroked her cheek.

"Booth, I don't know what I would do if I didn't have you by my side."

"You'll never have to know what that's like. I'll never leave your side----" He looked intensely into her eyes and held both of her hands again. "Temperance, I don't want to wait three more weeks to marry you. Can we please tell everyone?" Brennan didn't seem to get concerned like he thought she might. She merely nodded and squeezed his hands.

"If this is what you want, it's what I want. Let's tell them."


	13. The Surprise in the Sight

**A/N Thank you all for continuing to read! I hope it is continuing to keep your interest! If not, please feel free to let me know in the reviews section! But if it is, GRAND! Tell me so! The reviews are very encouraging! Thanks again! Enjoy. Alex**

Booth seemed wide awake and unable to sleep. Many of his injuries were preventing him from getting comfortable enough to do so. But Brennan on the other hand, was completely void of energy and had gone to sleep easily. Though Booth wished he could go to sleep, he had the privilege to watch his beautiful Brennan sleep, and that made the lack of sleep less aggravating to him. But as usual, his enjoyment of the view was cut short. His phone began to ring. He tried to reach for it on the table next to his bed but his broken ribs wouldn't allow him to reach that far.

"Bones. Bones, I need you to grab my phone." She popped up almost reflexively and handed Booth his phone. Booth had barely opened the phone and the concerned voice on the other end began to speak immediately.

"Booth! We just got a call from the FBI saying that you were in a serious car accident. Are you okay?!?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I mean I answered the phone, so I'm not too bad, right?" Booth chuckled at his own remark. He quickly remembered that laughing was not the best thing to do when one had a menagerie of broken bones and bruises. Brennan moved closer to the bed as Booth turned the phone on speakerphone.

"Seeley, you're version of fine and most normal people's version are very very different."

"Cam, don't call me Seeley." Brennan leaned in towards the phone that was resting on Booth's stomach.

"Booth has a deep laceration of the brachioradialis, a contusion of the left zigomatic bone, a multiple region fracture of the tibia, fractured the third, fourth and sixth vertebrosternal ribs and the tenth vertebrochodral rib on the left side. And he only fractured the third and fourth vertebrosternal ribs on the right side."

"Well, I got tibia and ribs out of that. Can we have a translation?" Hodgins asked sarcastically.

"Bones means that I have a nasty cut in my arm, a couple bruises, a broken shin and some broken ribs." Brennan folded her arms tightly and shot Booth an annoyed look.

"That's what I said, Booth."

"I was putting in into more commonly used people terms."

"So I'm supposed to dumb down simple human anatomy?"

"Bones, when you talk to me like that, I like to think of it as you dumbing up the conversation. I was stupid, and you just made me feel more stupid. Get it?"

"Right. Yeah." They refocused their attention to the phone on Booth's stomach at the sound of Cam's slightly annoyed voice.

"Hey, you two. We didn't call to listen to your endless banter. So can we come visit you?"

"Yeah, you bet, Cam. Bones and I will be glad to see you guys. It's pretty dull in these hospital rooms."

"Alrighty then, I'm bringing the whole gang if you don't mind."

"Nope! That sounds great!" Booth looked at Brennan, hoping she would make some nonverbal communication of her approval. She smiled and nodded.

"We'll see you in about half and hour!"

"Okay, bye." Booth slapped the phone shut and handed it back to Brennan.

"It's pretty dull in here." Brennan said suggestively as she moved about two inches from Booth's face.

"Well, I didn't mean you." He stared her down with his own look of mischief.

"You know one of the things I like most about us being together? The fact that when you are this close to me, I can just do----" Booth interrupted his own speech and pulled her in close and kissed her. As he pulled away, relatively quickly, he was amazed to find Brennan mesmerized again.

"That." Another intense look of care and deep rooted love took over the moment. Booth breathed in heavily and dropped back into a reclined position. Brennan placed her hand over his as she sat down in her chair and rested her head on the side of Booth's bed. Even though she had wanted to be taken off her IV, she was very glad now that the nurse hadn't conceded to that request. Every inch of her body was exhausted and completely devoid of any and all forms of energy. Booth looked at her as if he was never going to pull his eyes away. He had loved her long before she even recognized their mutual attraction. All of the love and care he had suppressed to words, now was emitted in his countless looks. It seemed that every chance he got, he was cherishing everything about her.

Brennan had agreed to marry him, despite her deep disapproval of marriage. He knew that she rarely changed her mind; yet as days went by, he was afraid of losing her. He was afraid of saying something that would drive her away, afraid of doing something that would make her dispel the idea of marriage from her mind. So his loving gazes were the only way for him to gain some sort of self-assurance that the most beloved person in his world would always be his. She looked up at him. Sometimes Booth would be thinking so hard, Brennan would swear that she could hear him working. Sure enough, he had deep thought written all over his face.

"Booth, how do we tell them?"

"Well, I think the best way to tell them is to just act like we have been acting and let it come out naturally."

"Don't you think we should just tell them? Your idea makes it probable that, in some situations, the subject may not even come up."

"Just ride it out, Bones."

"I don't know what that means."

"Don't act like you're covering something up. Love me. That's all you need to do, okay? It'll will come out, I promise." He smiled and ran his hand over her head until it hurt too much to continue.

"Booth, can I tell you something?"

"You can tell me anything, Bones. You know that." He held her hand and stoked it with his thumb as he gazed at her beautiful figure.

"I just----I-----this is all so new to me----and I-----"

"I know, Bones. I don't understand why you can't grab hold of marriage but I DO know why you're scared. And it's okay that you are. If it takes you five years to embrace the concept of marriage, I'll still be here. If it takes you ten years, I'll be right here. Twenty, thirty, you can bet your bones I'll be here. You are my Bones and I will not desert you just because we don't believe the same things. If that was true, we wouldn't have even been friends."

"Booth?"

"Hm."

"I really just wanted to tell you thank you for believing that I could do this. For believing that I have the ability to open up to things, even if it means you dragging me through mud and sand to get there. I mean, you've never actually drug me through sand or mud before. You've always been a gentleman to me, even when you didn't like me much. I'm just rambling here. Booth-----thank you, for everything that you are to me. I can't see straight without you and I need you. And------And I'm sorry for not seeing you."

"Bones, sometimes you have to be blind to what you need before you can see it clearly."

"Poetic, Booth." She smiled at him and squeezed his hand lightly.

"I really am sorry. You had to wait so long."

"It was worth every minute, Bren. Every second I had to wait was the most painful second of my life, but every second I learned to love you a little bit more. A tornado couldn't keep me from loving you."

"Booth, tornados are very strong."

"Bones…." Booth rolled his eyes and he brought his hand up to his head for a humored effect.

"What? They are! It's physically impossible to----" Booth grabbed her hand and pulled her in. He made her forget anything she was about to say. Moments drifted by as Booth softly kissed her. Booth was actually hoping that their friends would walk in right then so their passion could do all the talking. In fact, thirty minutes passed by very quickly as they talked. They had lost track of the time. A quiet knock at the door didn't phase either of them. The door slowly opened and Cam stepped into the room. She stopped stiff in her tracks immediately when she saw Booth and Brennan clearly in the middle of a very intense kiss. Hodgins and Angela reacted smartly as they froze directly behind Cam. Sweets merely walked in and beamed a giant smile. He had finally seen it. All those years of work and anticipation. He worked his way to the front of the blockage but Angela shoved him out of the way.

"OH MY GOSH. BREN, YOU DIDN'T TELL ME!?!?"


	14. The Tricks in the Trade

**A/N: My dear readers, subscribers, and all around lovely people: I am very sorry for the incredibly long wait for this next chapter. I will strive to keep from the long wait next time. I was in a bit of a rut and have been very busy. But now my ideas are ROLLING! Please please please review for me so I know how I'm doing after being out of the minds of these characters for so long! HAHA. I included the last portion of the last chapter so you can remember what was going on. If that's not enough, just go back a chapter and read up =) Hope the chapter is good enough to make up for the wait =) Enjoy. **

**-Alex**

"What? They are! It's physically impossible to----" Booth grabbed her hand and pulled her in. He made her forget anything she was about to say. Moments drifted by as Booth softly kissed her. Booth was actually hoping that their friends would walk in right then so their passion could do all the talking. In fact, thirty minutes passed by very quickly as they talked. They had lost track of the time. A quiet knock at the door didn't phase either of them. The door slowly opened and Cam stepped into the room. She stopped stiff in her tracks immediately when she saw Booth and Brennan clearly in the middle of a very intense kiss. Hodgins and Angela reacted similarly as they froze directly behind Cam. Sweets merely walked in and beamed a giant smile. He had finally seen it. All those years of work and anticipation. He worked his way to the front of the blockage but Angela shoved him out of the way.

"OH MY GOSH. BREN, YOU DIDN'T TELL ME!?!?"

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Brennan and Booth quickly separated at the sound of Angela's loud declaration. Brennan blushed as she tried to give Angela eye contact. Angela took a few large steps towards Brennan and then stood with her hands firmly on her hips.

"You tell me EVERYTHING, Brennan!!"

"I guess I just forgot to tell you."

"No no no. You don't forget to tell me this kind of thing. You were hiding. And THE GIANT ROCK! I really really hate you right now."

"I see no giant rocks in this room, Ange. This is a hospital, I'd expect that they would keep any sort of rock out of the rooms. And if it eases your chemical imbalance, I didn't tell any---well, I told Sweets. But he's our therapist! He has to know---legally."

"Legal my butt. You are so in trouble with me for a VERY long time." Angela looked again at Brennan's ring and her look of anger immediately transformed into a wave of excitement.

"So I can't really be mad at you for too long. When is the wedding??!?!?"

"As soon as Booth and I are discharged tomorrow, we were thinking this coming weekend. But----well, we are going to need everybody's help to put it all together."

" THIS WEEKEND??? Dang right, you'll need our help! We'll make it happen, right guys??" Angela looked back at the still awestruck group of friends in the doorway. Hodgins and Sweets just shrugged and nodded agreeably while Cam stared with huge eyes at the far wall. Angela walked over to Cam and started waving her hand in front of Cam's eyes. Cam shook her head and looked at Angela.

"Yes, I will help. But you all are insane. I want you to know that. I thought you all were crazy already----now I think you're insane. Congratulations." She backed herself up to the wall and leaned against it as she folded her arms.

"So Brennan, you need to tell me everything about all of the----"

"Hey, guys, as much as I love that you're all willing to help and want to know everything right this very second, but I need to sleep so I can actually get out of here tomorrow." Booth sunk back into the hospital bed and tried to read everyone's expressions. Angela moved her head up and started to speak, "Yeah. Okay. Let's go people. Let the man sleep. We have a wedding to plan tomorrow." She walked over to Booth and kissed him on the forehead and then embraced the seated Brennan. The group had mostly left but Angela still waved Sweets out as if she were herding stubborn cattle. When the door closed, Booth released a heavy sigh. Brennan placed her hand on top of Booth's and intertwined their fingers tightly. He looked over at her and smiled tenderly.

"I love you so much, Bones." Her chest rose as she took in a quick breath and blushed.

"It's completely irrational, but it sometimes you take my breath away. It's one of the most unintelligent phrases I have ever heard, but----it's true. I love that you can make something------you make things true that I have never dreamed of. I have always been so afraid of the things that people talk about when they speak of love. The feelings that they talk about are frightening. To lose yourself like that in someone is-----unbelievable."

"Is it?? It is that unbelievable?" Booth sat up once more and looked into her deep blue eyes. She breathed in quickly again. Their eyes were completely focused on each other and nothing else existed in that moment. He swung his legs over the side of the bed so that he was facing her.

"Not at all." She said as their stare grew stronger. Booth reached out and placed his hand on her cheek. As she reached up to grab his hand, Booth smiled and ran his hand through her hair. He leaned forward at the same time as her and they rested on each others' forehead.

"I will love you forever." He said, stroking her cheek with his thumb. A small tear fell from Brennan's eye. Before she could bring up her hand to wipe it away, Booth did it for her.

"Bren, I'm going to sleep now. I'm going to need as much rest as I can if we are having a wedding in five days." She cooed a quiet "yeah" as she leaned back in her chair. Booth put his legs back on the bed and pulled the blankets over his tired and cold body. He was certainly thankful that the worst injury he had received was some broken ribs. He had experienced broken ribs on numerous occasions and it was not a big deal to him. The only thing he would really have to worry about was walking with the fractured shin. It didn't really hurt but he could only what it would feel like when he started walking on it. He had requested to not have it casted. The doctor disliked the request but conceded when Booth told him that he had a wedding soon. After ten minutes of reminiscing of the last few days, he drifted off to sleep at the sound of his fiancé typing on her laptop.

"_Love is like a bird." _

"What is it with me and wings lately??" She chuckled as she spoke out loud to herself before resuming her writing.

"_It takes off and begins to fly a few feet about the ground. Sometimes it rises quickly and it climbs higher into the welcoming sky. And then, with no warning, the sky decides…"_

_What?? What has happened to me? The sky decides??? YEAH…okay. I'll go with it for now. People like that kind of personification anyway. UGH. Leave it, Temperance. Leave. It. Okay. It's still there. _

"_The sky decides that the bird is not welcome. The winds begin to blow the bird off its intended course and its wings begin to tire. It begins to feel as if it will loose all the altitude it had worked so hard to gain. But what the bird fails to realize is that another bird has joined it on this difficult journey. The other creature is floating below and is keeping the tiring bird from falling. This is love. I would like to dedicate this book to my husband…"_

_That feels really strange to write. Husband. _But something in her liked it. Loved it. She had always scolded Booth for saying things like "My forensic anthropologist. My Squint. My. My. My. Anything possessive. But things had changed. She wanted to belong to him. He kept her flying. All this time, she had expect that this was some kind of trick that love was playing on her. She kept expecting her emotions to be crushed. But there he was, her bird. Constantly lifting her up. Catching her.

"_I dedicate this book to my husband Seeley Joseph Booth. He is my bird. He has shown me what love is. He has held me up when I could not support myself. This book is not about the two characters you have come to love. It is about my partner and I and the amazing journeys and great adventures we have experienced in our five years together. I owe it to you, my audience to share a piece of myself with you. _

_To Seeley. My Best Friend and Partner. I love you forever. _


	15. The Resumation in the Story

Alright my friends! I'm shocked and humbled at the responses. So due to some seemingly popular requests, this story will continue. Not super soon because I have been in t)he hospital for over a month and not feeling very well as you can probably imagine =P. so keep it on your story alert =) because I promise when I am feeling up to writing, I promise you it will be fun. I got at LEAST 10 more chapters or fun =)

Faithfully yours,

Alex [Jasperwright]


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